Advances in Polarizer Technology for Terahertz Frequency Applications

As investigations into potential applications of terahertz technology grow, there is an increasing need for improved terahertz optical components such as polarizers. To determine the optical properties of a sample accurately, the polarization properties of the light must also be known accurately. Many terahertz emitters will have both horizontal and vertical polarization components and often assumptions are made about device characteristics without measuring them-even the position of excitation beam on the photoconductive emitter can affect the resulting terahertz electric field and so the exact optical properties of a given device will vary depending on how they are configured. Polarizers operating at terahertz frequencies can be used to characterize the electric field accurately or remove unwanted components as long as the polarizer is of sufficiently high performance. In this paper we review the key properties of polarizers and look at recent advances in their design and development at terahertz frequencies.